Blood Promise
by hyper.fungus
Summary: Forever bounded by thousands of steel chains, right? Right. No complaints? None at all... Wrong answer
1. once upon a time

_Summary: Forever bonded by thousands of steel chains, right? Right. No complaints? None at all… Wrong answer._

**Disclaimer: hyper-fungus owns nothing but the plot bunny that's been stomping wildly on her head. Even plot bunny is an inspiration drawn from other authors. So, don't sue hyper-fungus, please :)**

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Once upon a time…

Always that. Or some variations of that phrase.

It bothers me how most stories seem to start at a vague point in time that authors never bother to provide details on. It leaves readers, me at the very least, wanting, craving to know what period of the main characters' lives "time" refers to. It would really help the readers – again, me – to understand the underlying motives of the story prior to reading it in a haze of confusion. Of course, that might be considered as a disruption of suspense, but it is the most logical way of starting a story.

Which brings me to my own quest for the origin point of my story. I suppose, one can argue that mine can start at the very first second of my birth, seeing as numerous accidents happened simultaneously for the following couple of hours. First, there was the birth of a hybrid, half-vampire, then the small joy of welcoming a new member of the family, then the death of my mother, followed by her being turned into an immortal, which prompted her former werewolf lover/current best friend to seek me out for revenge (he decided that I was the one to blame), but that plan backfired on him and resulted in his surrendering his life to me… and vice versa.

So, it would not be an uninteresting place to start. But it seemed inappropriate since every good story is focused on the pivotal turning point of the main character. And my birth can hardly be considered as a turning point for me, for everybody else, maybe, but not for me. Sadly though, nothing of particular interest happened to me for years after my birth, disregarding the arrival of the Volturis, which was not a turning point for anybody. The Romans would agree. There were always the routine almost ritual-like troubles that I get myself into unknowingly. They usually ended with no casualty, but were still enough to scare the heck out of most of my family. I believe that the bad luck was genetically inherited from mother. It had to be.

That leaves me, though, with a bitter beginning to my story. The day it was decided for me that I had to part from Forks, from my family, both the vampire and wolf kind, and most importantly from my imprint Jacob.

What was more frustrating than the sudden shattering of my well-built haven was what caused the unwanted and unwelcomed change, more specifically _who_ caused it.

I can remember that day to the very last detail. Jacob was wearing a shirt that day, not a casual T-shirt, but an actual button up blue shirt with a pair of dark jeans and his surprisingly new-looking sneakers. I should've known that something was up. I suppose I did, but decided to ignore it because I feared that the '_something'_ was Jacob deciding to propose. It was a logical assumption, mind you because at that time I was almost 6 and a half, physically 16 and mentally much too mature for my own good. Still, a proposal seemed too early for me, definitely for my family – any time would be a millennia too early for father – and even for Jacob based on his determination to let me have a proper childhood.

Now looking back at it, a proposal would have been a better way out than this one. At least it would not have forced me to deviate so wildly from my natural lifestyle because marrying Jacob was my life destiny anyways.

Instead, Jacob decided that it would be a good idea to introduce me to a _normal_ human society.

I almost snorted.

This was how it all went down. He sat down on a chair, face cleanly shaven, looking very clean and handsome, next to me and across both my parents. I could tell that he was slightly fidgety by the way he clasped onto my hand, but also slightly annoyed at mother's intense scrutinizing gaze. He rolled his eye, probably telling my father – via thoughts – that he was not here to propose to me or anything related to that because father subsequently rubbed mother's back soothingly and whispered something at vampiric speed that even I could not have kept up with.

Jacob started nervously, saying "Edward, Bella, I have a request to make and before you guys misunderstand and freak out, let me tell you that it's not related to marriage, engagement, sex and whatnot."

Father's cringe at the mention of _sex_ almost made me laugh. For a Cullen to shy away from the word sex is an oxymoron for me.

"After much consideration on _my_ part…" the emphasis on _my_ was not lost on me, "I think that it would be best that we send Nessie to a college." He finished, still tightly squeezing my hand and not looking at me, as if the request was meant for me and not my parents.

It took my parents by surprise, even father. Jacob and I had gotten a lot better at hiding our thoughts from father, thanks to Alice and years of practice. You can only handle so much parental invasion to your mind. Mother was surprisingly the one to speak up. And I was glad she did.

"You haven't talked about this with Nessie at all, have you?"

Jacob sported a nervous look for a second before finally turning his head to look at me. When his eyes caught mine, an unfamiliar look in his black eyes surprised me out of my shock and subsequently caused me to release all my emotions at him, the most prominent of which were rage and confusion.

He flinched, but did not withdraw his grip on me. Once I managed to subdue the emotional attack, he took the chance to launch into an array of unwanted explanations, including "I want you to experience a normal human life. Don't give me that look. You're half-human. Living your whole life with vampires and werewolves is not healthy. Plus, you look the age already. Trust me, you need this, Ness."

I was about to tell him that werewolves are basically humans who shape-shift, so technically I do live with humans before father decided to interrupt our one-sided quarreling.

"Jacob made a very good point, Renesmee. There is so much for you to see out there beyond Forks. Why limit yourself to a small place like Forks? Even your mother has lived and will live outside of Forks and Washington." Knowing him and his ever present dislike of Jacob, his answer easily translated to "You can do so much better than that mongrel." Father was too predictable when it comes to me and Jacob.

All eyes shifted to me then, as if expecting me to say something, two pairs of which most obviously wanted me to agree, but my mind was jumbled around in too many thoughts. I was trying to figure out what made Jacob suggest such a ridiculous thing. I was looking back at the near past, searching for clues I might have missed, signs I should have noticed, but I drew up a blank because my concentration was divided between the struggle to solve the how-did-Jacob-manage-to-plan-such-an-idiocy puzzle and guarding my thoughts from both father and Jacob.

So, I decided to take the easy way out. Escape.

"I need to think about this." I shook my hand free from Jacob's and left the Cullens' residence to run to the forest without looking back.

Running has always helped me clear my mind. I always start a run by thanking God that he did not pass on my mother's clumsy genes on to me. And then I had to reconsider thanking him because he did forget to stop the bad-luck genetic transfer.

During that run several thoughts popped into my head, none of which were pretty.

I thought about the times when my selfish side got the better of me and forced Jacob to sacrifice more than appropriate time away from his pack, like during last Christmas – 2 amazing weeks of white Christmas in Canada – and several other occasions. He seemed to have enjoyed it as much as I did, maybe more, but I knew that the imprinting bond played a bigger role in creating the festive mood in his mind.

I thought about his carefree and relaxed behavior whenever we visit La Push and the pack. Jacob assured me often that he had gotten used to being in the presence of so many vampires and that the smell did not really bother him as long as I stayed close by, which prompted a low growl from my father when he overheard either the talk or the thought, or maybe both. However, his wolf instincts did not, _could not_ allow him to completely drop his guard whenever there is a vampire nearby.

Then I thought about the impending future, not the dreadful college, but the certain reality. One day, the family will get bored of living in seclusion. They are only doing this for me, so that I can grow out of my human phase properly – and spend time with Jacob – before I have to face more changes to life. It is safe to assume that once I reach maturity, we will move again to another cloudy place, not returning to Forks for at least another decade. When that time comes, I will have to choose between my family and Jacob. I had firmly decided not to tear Jacob away from his pack, seeing as he was Alpha and it would be cruel to do so to him and the pack in general. There was no need to cause uproar and a possible crater in the vampire-wolf treaty. I will have to part from my family sooner or later assuming that an imprint cannot be separated from his imprintee for too long.

That thought forced me to turn on my heels and head back home for some explanations. Was he going to go to college with me? Or did he discover that imprints don't have to be attached by the hips all the time? I was somewhat hoping for the former, but not really rejecting the possibility of the latter. God knows Jacob needs a break from all the tantrums Leah throws at him for putting me and not the pack in first priority.

When I arrived home (with an audible slam), I saw mother conversing with Jacob sans father in the living room. I assumed that he had gone out of his way to find connections that can spare me a place in whatever first tier college he had in mind. I did not notice anything wrong with the picture at that moment, but then again my mind was preoccupied.

So, I hurried to Jacob's side to grab his face in both hands and started assaulting him with waves of confusion, rage and questions. At that point I was glad that Jacob was so attuned to my thoughts because I was not capable of sorting my head out, especially with him in such close proximity.

When I finished the mental assault, I started withdrawing my hands, but Jacob kept them firm on his face and glued his eyes to mine. Then he said, "Ness, please don't misunderstand me. I love you. There's no doubt about that." Oops, he wasn't supposed to catch that wild thought. "But you need this. Being separated won't be easy, but anytime our heart feels like crumbling, I will run to you, no matter where you decide to go to. Besides, overprotective father there would sooner mutilate me alive before letting me go to college with you. So, consider this your own little experiment…" He just had to mention experiment. I wish he would know me less and not be able to single out my weaknesses easily. "And by the time four years are up, you'll be glad I made this decision for you."

_But what if I would come to regret it?_ I asked him. _What if people find me queer?_

"Nessie, Leah and I have taught you how to interact with humans. You even went to a slumber party down in La Push." At this, mom gave him a pointed look, clearly saying 'you better have a good explanation for this'. "And it's May and college won't start for another 3 months at the very least. As long as you start talking instead of broadcasting, you'll be fine." He gave me the sunshine grin that he knew would get me nodding my head.

So, with a sigh and another wave of anger, but this time more subdued and more playfully threatening, I agreed.

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**So… hyper-fungus is now curious to know whether or not readers find this story worthwhile. It'll have more conflicts as the plot evolves, promise!**


	2. farewell, save haven

**Disclaimer: Hyper-fungus only borrows characters**

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Leave it to father to carry out impossible tasks, such as fetching a dozen of acceptance letters from the most prestigious colleges in the United States and a couple from Canada. By the end of May, I was cordially invited to attend all of the following schools, including but not limited to Yale, Princeton, Harvard, MIT, Stanford and Dartmouth. Father thought that I deserved the best education, which I begrudgingly agreed to. Most of these colleges, though, were so far off in east coast that I did not even bother opening the letters.

Which practically left me with Stanford. I suppose California is only one state away from Washington and Jacob could potentially run to visit me, but it was still… far away.

Location aside, I never thought I would ever choose Stanford as my debut ground to the human society. It seemed too pompous and secluded, and reminded me too much of myself that the move from Forks to California would not be too drastic of a change.

Then again, I had the rest of eternity to venture the university world. It was my mantra to survive through the next day knowing that my safe days were numbered.

As the dreaded day was approaching, Aunt Alice decided to make it more unbearable than it should have been. Something really should be done to stop her from getting her way when it comes to festivities and anything remotely interest-sparking because my leaving home was not a very celebratory event.

She had planned everything to the very last detail and had put almost as much effort into it as she did my parents' wedding. The farewell party was held in the afternoon right after sunset down at First Beach, so as to accommodate both my vampire and wolf families. She had hired workers – the vampires were technically still not allowed down in La Push for too long – to set up all the decorations and even offered to get food catered for the wolves, which they rejected because as Seth commented accurately "No catered food can beat good ol' home-made delicacies."

Despite my less than festive mood on that day, I had to admit that Aunt Alice has managed to transform the beach into an unforgettable scenery. The torches illuminated the beach and drew out the sparkle from the sand impurities and water, creating an almost other-worldly effect. That combined with the shine of the full moon – my favorite time of the month – made it all the more perfect.

Everyone was already gathered near the bonfire when my vampire family and I arrived. I could see my Jacob bantering lightly with Leah as they always do – it was the subject of "speed" again this time. Next to them was Billy whose body had tensed a little at our arrival, not that I blame him. A sudden intrusion of 8 vampires and a hybrid into your territory takes a while to get used to. Emily tried to lighten up everyone's mood by announcing our arrival and the arrival of food. "Finally!" I could hear someone shout, probably Paul and his insatiable hunger, but then again, it was a common trait between the wolves.

On my way to Jacob, I greeted grandfather Charlie and Sue Clearwater, gave him a customary peck on the cheek, which he was still not used to. I was glad to note, though, that Sue had warmed up to me a little bit, seeing as she had stopped her continuous glares and frowns around me. She wasn't "nice" and much less "affectionate", but it would do.

"Nessie!" Jacob called for me once he spotted me walking toward him.

I walked a little faster, but not enough that people would start noticing, and gave him a slightly bigger than customary hug. Nobody noticed, but Jacob of course. And maybe Leah since she was so close by, but she did not matter. It was my farewell party and I was not going to see him for quite some time after this, so I figured that I deserved to act spoiled.

Jacob returned the hug and I was already thinking of how much I would miss his warmth. It was ridiculous really. I should not have been too emotional. I was not going to leave him forever, not that I could even if I had wanted to. But leaving the home I had known for, well, my whole existence was becoming even harder than I thought.

After a while, I heard a distinct cough that made me growl in annoyance. Father could use a lesson or two in subtlety.

I ignored him, but still withdrew from the hug, but not from Jacob completely. I made sure that my arm was still on his at an angle that would make it most obvious to father, even under this dim light.

Jacob snickered a little, catching on to my act and leaned to my ear to whisper

"You really shouldn't provoke him like that, Ness. We don't want a bloody farewell."

So, I leaned even closer to him and whispered in his ears "Neither should you, my Jacob. Imagine all the murderous thoughts father must be cradling now, seeing us at such a proximity with you whispering furtively in my ear, not that he couldn't hear us. But the thought should be provocative enough, hmm?"

He pulled back almost immediately and avoided my eyes, but did not shake off my arms from his. I expected that to happen. I had been experimenting with his reactions to me as I grew and found them fascinating. He was as "male" as any teenage to mid-twenties human males should be, but somehow different. The urges were there, but the control overpowered his mind and body, most likely due to the imprinting, but still so fascinating.

Deciding that awkward was not the feeling I wanted to leave behind, I asked him about Seth, through mind broadcast.

"He should be here any moment now. He's got a… study meeting with his classmate."

Aah, one of those less than innocent study meetings. Seth was a male who had not imprinted, so it did not really surprise me that despite his "pure heart" as father had dubbed it often, he still gave in to the consumptive humanly desires.

Suddenly, I felt someone tackle me from behind, enough to surprise me but not enough to make me fall, and cover my eyes. My reflex was to broadcast a wave of anger and a short string of insults to my attacker.

Said attacker then said, rather loudly "Ah, ah, ah Nessie. Broadcasting thoughts and feelings is foul play in this party."

I knew immediately that it was Seth and did not hesitate to throw him over my shoulder to the nearest boulder, barely missing the target and Jacob. He recovered quickly, though, but not quick enough to avoid the booming laughter of most males present.

"Ouch Ness, that was mean!" He emphasized it with a glare and an exaggerated rub to his back.

"Was not." I said simply, still foreign to being forced to talk. Really, I had no aversion to using my vocal chords nor do I find it hard to articulate my thoughts, but it was so much more convenient to broadcast, not to mention that it created a gesture of intimacy and privacy that I lacked in my family.

The party itself, though was a blur. I could vaguely recall Grandpa Carlisle having a deep conversation with Billy and Charlie about fishing. Grandpa Carlisle was fascinated by the men's extreme interest in such a mundane time-consuming activity. Then at some point, Leah decided that it would be funny to kick sand all over Rosalie, knowing that she would retaliate, which she did. Thankfully, their tackling each other was acted out enough that nobody believed anything serious was going to happen.

When the time came for me to catch my 11 pm flight, Jacob announced to everyone that he was going to drive me to the airport, his eyes trained on father's, silently asking for permission. Surprisingly, father nodded once and tossed Jacob his car keys.

"Make sure she gets there on time." He warned him.

"Course Eddie, I was the one who suggested this, remember?" Jacob shrugged, chuckling a little. Yes, of course, who wouldn't?

Seeing mother's worried gaze fixed on me, I realized that my face had contorted into an ugly frown. For the sakes of everybody enduring this whole fiesta for me, I mustered my biggest grin and said a few parting words, which shockingly were not as few as I had expected.

"I'll really miss everybody here. I'll try to come and visit as soon as possible. Mother, father, I'll miss you guys so much! Make sure you don't break the house while I'm gone…" While mother and father were busy fidgeting, uncle Emmett laughed and yelled over "I'll fix it before you get back, just gimme a holler kiddo!" I sent him a genuine smile and continued, "Uncle Jasper, please try to keep aunt Alice from refurnishing my wardrobe…" Uncle Jasper pulled the pouting aunt Alice to his chest and chuckled softly, responding with a small "will do."

"Sue, I'm really glad you're there to feed grandpa Charlie and to take care of him. We owe you." The usually poker-faced Sue Clearwater Swan actually smiled at me, which made me feel a lot better and my smile slightly less forced. "Billy…" I wanted to say something to Billy, but couldn't find the proper way to articulate my feelings. I liked him, I truly did, but it was a feeling that was hard to convey since it took him so long to get used to the idea of me and Jacob imprinting me. It was a mixture of respect, awe, like and slight annoyance. Since I was taking too long to think, I squeezed Jacob's hand, asking him what I should say to Billy. He smiled down at me and said "nothing. He knows it." I followed his advice and gave Billy a genuine small smile that hopefully portrayed my mixed feelings on him. He smiled back politely and nodded, which was enough answer for me.

I was seeking out Leah's and Seth's face in the crowd when the latter yelled "foul play! She was broadcasting to Jacob!"

Before I knew it, I was covered in buckets of flour and dozens of cracked eggs, thrown by none other than Seth, Quil and uncle Emmett. There was a moment of silence before I was growling and crouching, ready to pounce on the mischief makers. Just as I was about to jump – Seth's face was twisted in laughter and fear, I delightfully noted – I heard an eggshell crack on top of me and felt more squishy liquid fall on top of my head.

My head snapped to see Jacob trying – futilely – to hide his laughter and his guilty hands behind his back. That made me snap and tackle him to the ground with as much force as I could muster and yell "traitor!" while repeatedly play-punching him in the chest. Everybody started laughing joyously and sped toward me and Jacob to hug me and shower me with kisses of goodbye and promises of visiting and whispers of the wonders of the new world.

Looking back on it, it was as perfect as any family gathering could ever be. I wished I could have frozen time then and never move on, never look back, never feel the pain of being so painstakingly alive, yet so obviously dead.

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**Hyper-fungus has nothing to say really, and only hopes that people enjoys its story :)**


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